The spring of 2002 the Jakarta Post published an article by the Cuba independent journalist Raúl Rivero. (Raul Rivero writes in Jakarta Post) There is nothing new in the article in particular, but the respons from the Cuban ambassador to Indonesia is interesting (Response from the Cuban embassy to Indonesia full text). Among other things it is very revealing of the Cuban governments view on press freedom:
”The Cuban newspapers, it is true, are state-owned media, but they do not fabricate false innuendos like the one I am forced to answer back. Of course, such a libel would have never been published in Cuba, but not because the media is communist, but because our news always abide by the truth and the educational content of it. Our people watch 3, –not 2 television channels- where the best of arts and culture of the whole world is shown, including the best of the American music, documentaries and films.
They do not brainwash, but instruct, and fortunately, they are not attached to the whims of the great economic interests that promote the worst of shows on TV, as TV is funded by the government, with no advertisements allowed, which, in fact, makes it more enjoyable to watch.
It is very sad to see a fellow citizen to call its own people a mediocre country. That speaks more of himself than of my people. This person talks about imprisonment of human rights activists, when in fact these are pawns – as the writer of the article I am replying to is—of the US Government efforts to subvert the Cuban system to bring it back to the semi colonial status it enjoyed before 1959.”
